Week after week, this blog has highlighted the coming together of the trucking industry for the greater good. A greater good of the community, its people and even the world. This week is no different as the industry has collected its resources and made a global impact to aid India, which has been hit especially hard by COVID-19. In that same spirit of giving back, here are five good things that happened in trucking this week.
Make-A-Wish partners with UPS, Macy's to grant a wish
In partnership with Macy’s and UPS, Make-A-Wish Foundation granted a wish for Mateo, a young boy whose dream is to be a delivery person. On April 21, his wish was revealed in a big way.
Since 2003, Macy's has donated over $135M to Make-A-Wish to help create over 16,000 life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. On April 29, 1980, seven-year-old Chris Greicius' wish to be a police officer inspired the Phoenix community to come together to make his wish come true. Now, April 29 is known as World Wish Day, an annual celebration in honor of the wish that sparked a movement that would transform millions of lives.
This year, on April 29, Make-A-Wish, with the help of Macy’s, revealed that Mateo’s wish will be granted on May 6, making him an official delivery person.
Be sure to check in next week to see Mateo’s wish come true.
Estes Express driver helps rescue man from burning bucket truck
When a bucket truck burst into flames in Santa Rosa, Calif., truck driver Efrain Zepeda didn’t hesitate to help Bill Harm, sergeant Bill Harm of the California Highway Patrol, save the bucket truck driver.
Harm explained the truck's operator was in the extended bucket above the street and the fire had killed the bucket's controls. The only way down was for Zepeda to pull alongside the burning truck and position the trailer so the stranded worker could jump onto it to safety.
Zepeda then pulled out of traffic and eased up directly next to the bucket truck that was totally engulfed in flames. He said he kept one eye on Sgt. Harm and the other on the flames, which were perilously close to his right aside fuel tank.
"That was the scary part," said Zepeda, who lives with his wife and three children in Windsor, a suburb of Santa Rosa.
As Zepeda waited and watched, the bucket truck operator jumped to safety, and Sgt. Harm signaled Zepeda to move ahead. Shortly after he did, the utility truck exploded, and the extended bucket collapsed into the street.
A coworker brought a ladder for the utility worker to climb off Zepeda's trailer. The rescue took all of about 10 minutes, but it seemed forever as it unfolded, Zepeda said.
"The guy came to thank me," said Zepeda. "I could see he was really scared. but he was really grateful too."
“It is nothing short of a miracle that our driver, Efrain, was there just as this individual needed rescue from such a dire situation," said Webb Estes, Estes’ vice president of process improvement. "Enough can’t be said about the quick thinking by the police to request Efrain’s assistance and his bravery and immediate actions that allowed the worker to escape without serious injury by jumping onto our trailer. At Estes, the safety of everyone on the road is our highest priority and Efrain’s heroics exemplify this to the fullest.”
Submissions for CVSA College Scholarship Award end today
Today is the last day to apply for the CVSA College Scholarship Award, available for students who will be graduating from high school this year and attending college in the fall. CVSA will award $1,000 college scholarships to “select outstanding graduating high school seniors whose parent or legal guardian is a member of the Alliance in good standing.”
Students who meet the following criteria are eligible to apply for the scholarship award. The candidate must:
- Be a legal dependent of a Class I Member, Class II Local Member, Class III Associate Member or Class IV Federal Member (cannot be a legal dependent of a member of the CVSA Board of Directors)
- Be a graduating high school senior
- Have a minimum high school grade point average (GPA) or equivalent of 3.0
- Be a citizen and/or permanent legal resident of Canada, Mexico or the U.S.
CVSA urges that all applications must be completed with all of the required documentation submitted together at the same time. “Incomplete applications will not be considered.”
New Ram Truck campaign pays tribute to the American working-class
The Ram Truck brand has launched a new commercial titled “Giants,” saluting American working-class heroes and paying tribute to small businesses that are mobilizing by serving communities.
“Our new Ram ‘Giants’ campaign reinforces the full lineup of Ram Commercial vehicles, purpose-built to support and improve the productivity of businesses everywhere,” said Marissa Hunter, vice president of marketing at North America, Stellantis. “At a time when this country’s skilled tradespeople and business owners are demonstrating extraordinary fortitude, delivering this compelling message of strength, resilience and courage is our way of paying tribute to the hardworking and heroic American workforce.”
The campaign focuses on the determination of the working class and the role they play in shaping the nation’s future. Recognizing these tireless tradespeople as giants, each spot reminds viewers that it is American working-class heroes and small business owners who feed the land that keeps us fed and who deliver the goods and supply the demand, and to not forget that it is the dreamers who are the builders that will dig us out and build the future.
Retired UPS driver says goodbye to neighbor dog/BFF
Over the last five years, Garret Armbruster, now-retired UPS driver, has bonded with neighborhood dog Brody along his route.
“They’ve become best friends,” according to Brody’s mom, who posted the heartfelt goodbye on TikTok. “Garret always brought him plenty of biscuits and showered Brody with love.”
On Armbruster’s last day on the road, he stopped by to say goodbye to Brody.
“Last day with our favorite driver. Therapy starts on Monday,” Brody’s mom said in the video.
Armbruster left Brody with a UPS costume and a framed photo of them together before heading to retirement in Florida.
Watch the duo’s goodbye below.
Happy Friday, everyone!
